Goodbye, Dear Blog….

Today is the 6th anniversary of my greenquilts blog - WOW! I am ever so grateful to all of you who have been faithfully following me and reading all my posts, through thick and thin, doggies and a big move, house hunting, kids, etc.

It is with mixed feelings that I'm ending my posts here. Truly, this blog has changed my life. It has opened up my quilting world globally. I've made friends across the world and grown closer to those nearby.

So what's the deal, you ask?

As most of you know, I started The Hexie Blog last year. As I track the statistics on both blogs, this blog doesn't get as many readers on a good day as The Hexie Blog gets on a bad day. And it's really a challenge to keep two blogs going strong. So I'm going to concentrate all my efforts on The Hexie Blog. If you don't already follow me over there, PLEASE do!

I'm planning to expand The Hexie Blog to include some of the non-quilty stuff I share here, including an occasional recipe. And yes, even some non-hexie quilts!

This blog will remain here so you can continue to find my old posts if you wish.

Now move on with me to The Hexie Blog!

Walking...

Here's Cooper (AKA: Cooper Dupe, Super Duper Cooper. Coop, The Dupe), playing with some of his sticks in the back yard. His vet visit went well but was very surprising. The vet is treating his stomach issues conservatively, with a shot and some pills for me to poke down his throat. I can't hide them in food - he's too smart for that!

The good news is that his stomach seems to be feeling better. He has an appetite again and is keeping his food down. Yay!

The surprising part of the vet visit? They said he's very overweight! I had no idea!!! He weighs in at 92 pounds (!!!!!!!!). And the vet would like him to weight 75. He needs to lose 17 pounds! That's a lot for a dog! Heck, it's a lot for me…

So I've started cutting back on his food a bit - not too much though. Instead of 2 cups per meal, I'm giving him 1 1/2 cups.

And I'm recommitting to walking him.

Here he was on walk 1 of 2 yesterday. He's doing better on a leash now.

The walking is good for me, too, of course. So hopefully I'll keep this up. I saw this video on Mayo's Facebook page yesterday. I urge you to take a few minutes to watch it. It's all about how most of us sit too much. I know I'm very guilty of this. Watching the video really got my attention. I think I'll buy a new Fitbit today. And maybe I need to start making hexies while standing?

Is it a Stick or a Tree?

Cooper has a new toy - he found this yesterday and love to prance around with it. What fun! Unfortunately, he's been feeling a bit under the weather in the last few days. He's got some sort of stomach ailment. I'm going to take him to the vet today if possible to let them check him out.

I don't have anything quilty to share today because I've been doing quilty computer work. However I'll have some BIG news to share soon. I just have to lay the groundwork first and that's what I've been doing.

More computer work on tap today. Plus I'm going to start laying out piles to pack for Chattanooga today - lots of kits, samples, and supplies. Good thing I'll be driving there - too much to take on a plane!

We did get my mother back to Augusta Friday. We were on the road for 9 hours due to a minor traffic accident in Atlanta that back up traffic. I think she had a good time while here.

I'm ITCHING to get back to sewing - if I can get a lot done, maybe later today I'll pick up a needle…hoping and wishing...

Computer Time!

Prince is my helper! All good until he starts pushing keys - no telling what he will type!

I've been doing lots of quilty work on my computer this week while my mother is visiting. I can sit and chat with her and she doesn't even realize I'm hard at work. I'm getting lots done - yay!

I finished my little contest quilt except for hand stitching the sleeve - maybe I'll do that today in between computer work.

We have lots of friends in town because today is move in day for the university - I have a feeling some of them will stop by to visit.

I'll be driving Mom back to Augusta in the next couple of days - dread the all day drive! But it's been worth it to have her here for a visit. So glad we've had this visit before football season begins.

A Bit of Quilting

Oh boy, I finished a quilt top today! I can't show you the quilt yet, but here are the scraps. A pile of yumminess! I started quilting it, too - should finish in a few days, I hope. My mother will be here for a visit starting Friday. I told her I'd have to work some while she's here and she doesn't mind. Most of my work can be done will sitting and chatting with her. She's really ready for a visit! We will spoil her as usual!

Good old Cooper Dupe - he's had two days in a row without destroying anything! Good boy! Let's keep it up!!!

Other news: I'm working with a design firm to come up with a new logo. I have to make a final decision tomorrow. If you are so inclined, I'd love to get your opinion: go here to vote and rank your favorite.

Leo in Progress!

Happy Monday! I realized yesterday that I'd never shown the picture of my little Leo quilt. Above is the right side of Leo before the quilting and perle cotton hand stitching.

And here is the left side, all quilted and hand stitch with perle cotton. I love the difference a bit of perle cotton makes!

And here's the entire quilt. I'll be taking it to Chattanooga only half completed as a class sample.

I've been SUPER busy over the weekend, working on the slideshow for my lecture! Truthfully, I've been more nervous about the lecture than all of my classes put together. But my slideshow is coming together SO WELL, so I'm not concerned one little bit about it now. At first I was worried about filling an hour of time talking about hexies. But now I'm only concerned I have TOO MUCH info to give! A good problem to have!

My goal is to finish the slideshow this week so I'll have plenty of time to practice. YAY!!!!  I have several hexie businesses sending me door prizes for the event - it's going to be a good mail week around here.

Despite all my Chattanooga busy-ness, I started another quilt. Oh. Yes. I. DID! Am I crazy or what???

Probably so!

You see, there's this contest I saw…I already had the fabric…I had an idea…yadda yadda yadda…couldn't help myself. Deadline is less than 2 weeks away…oh my...

The Charity Quilt and CAKE!

Here's the charity quilt I've been working on (with the pile of ugly fabrics). Just goes to show you, even ugly fabrics have a place in the world. Somehow these fabrics play well together and will provide someone with a warm cover. One more block to make before I sew them together. I'm thinking I may tie this instead of quilting it. We'll see….

And now for that cake recipe I promised. This is a Blueberry Banana Pound Cake and it is absolutely DELICIOUS! You'll find the recipe here:  http://randlefarms.net/recipes/#banana

By the way, it calls for oat flour. One of my friends suggested grinding oatmeal in the blender to substitute for the oat flour. I did this and it worked like a charm - much more economical that buy that specialty flour.

Okay - go make it NOW! You won't regret it!

This afternoon I hope to do the perle cotton stitching on half of the kitty cat quilt. And some hexie appliqué. And maybe I'll clean off the dining room table. And maybe, maybe a load of laundry. And maybe, maybe, maybe I'll work on the class notebook I'm developing to organize all the classes I teach. And maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe….

Auburn Fun

I've had a Birmingham friend visiting this weekend. Oh, what fun we've had, including some fabric therapy! We HAD to go by the famous Toomer's Drugs - yes, the name is spelled out on the floor in hexie tiles!

You can't visit Auburn without some of the famous Toomer's Lemonade. Oh so good!!!

Daughter 2 is coming home from Minnesota today! Yay! I've already moved her cat back to the condo where he is ready and waiting. And Daughter 1 and SIL have had a big weekend, too! Lots going on around here, for sure.

Tomorrow: I will sew!

Ugly Fabric and Leo

Pile of UGLY fabric. One thing I love about quilting is that I can take ugly fabric and turn it into a beautiful quilt. I picked up a kit at our quilt guild meeting last week - a bag of precut fabric and a pattern, ready to make a charity quilt. How convenient! And no deadline! I started working on blocks this week and I'm loving it! I'll share my progress soon.

And here's one more Painterly Little Art Quilt I'm working on for a class sample. Here is Leo. It doesn't look like much now, but once I add the perle cotton stitching, it will come to life. I'm actually planning on quilting and doing the perle cotton embroider to half of it for now to show what a different those final touches make.

As I shared, Leo has been living with us in an upstairs bedroom (away from dogs!) this summer while Daughter 2 has been doing a summer Pharmacy internship at Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota. He has been so easy and a joy to host. BUT, Daughter 2 is finishing up her work and coming home this weekend - YAY! So Leo will be moving back to the condo to live with her again - I know they'll be happy to be back together again! Can't wait to have her back in town!

And Daughter 1 and SIL are busy as bees - officially house hunting here in Auburn. YAY! So excited for them! And so happy they'll be settling down not far from us!

So what else is new? Let's see…

Cooper has been bad again. :( I'm now taking him on three little walks per day to try to tire him out so he won't be as inclined to destroy my belongings.

I ate THE MOST DELICIOUS cake this week. I'll be making it this weekend - I'll share the recipe, I promise!

The hummingbirds are going crazy this summer - I have to fill the feeder with nectar at least weekly.

We are counting down to football season! I'm going to buy a couple of those cooling towels to use during the first few HOT games. Can't wait!

Painterly Little Art Quilts! Tah-Done!

My goal this week is to make some class samples for my Painterly Art Quilts class at the AQS show in Chattanooga in September. Yesterday I finished TWO! I worked on them for 3 days, off and on.

Above, of course, is Cooper - master of sneaking around the house and chewing on anything and everything. At this moment he is looking out the window watching two hummingbirds at the feeder.

And this is Samford Hall, an iconic building here at Auburn University.

I start with a photograph, make a pattern, use snippets and chunks of fabric, quilt it like crazy, and then add some perle cotton embroidery to add detail and highlights. Want to learn how? Come to Chattanooga!!!

Maybe I'll start another one today?

A Little Work and a Little Play

Today I designed 3 little quilts - these will be class samples for my Chattanooga classes. I hope to finish all three this week - we'll just see if I can do it! I was holding a picture up to the dining room window to trace it (yup, too lazy to go upstairs to get my light box.) Look who came to visit on the outside of the window! What a cutie with a bright blue chest!

And a little bit of play - I'm working on this cute pillow kit I bought in Chicago. I've appliqued all the leaves in place - now I'm ready to work on the flowers.

Hubby brought home a dozen farm fresh eggs a few days ago - yum, YUM! Aren't they gorgeous!

I had a wonderful birthday Friday. We watch Tim's Vermeer that night - a movie I've been wanting to see. It's a documentary produced by Penn and Teller about Tim Jenison's multi year journey to recreate a Vermeer oil painting. Very interesting! Tim's wife is Leslie Jenison, an art quilter. I highly recommend seeing it. We checked it out through iTunes.

By the way, an anonymous reader asked about my Chattanooga classes and if they are open to the public. YES! All the information is HERE!

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My Little Smocked Pincushion

Another little project - Tah-Done! I took a Make It University class in Chicago from my friend, Cheryl Sleboda. She has a new Quilting Arts video on heirloom smocking techniques for quilters. What fun! This is a fast little project and lots of fun to make. Great gift idea, too!

We did a lot of this during the holiday weekend - feet up, dogs in lap, back porch time, relaxing. Nice weekend!

We saw two fireworks shows, one in Opelika on the 3rd and one in Auburn on the 4th. Both were spectacular and tons of fun.

My focus this week is on finishing my Hexie Mania quilt (see here), working on some TINY hexies, and lots of paperwork. I don't care for paperwork. I like fabric work much better...

Tah-Done! A New Hand Sewing Caddy!

Here's that little project I've been working on this week. It's a Yazzii that I bought at the Chicago Quilt Festival. I covered it with some orange wool appliquéd with a cute flower.

On the "spine" of the caddy, I appliqued my initials on a small piece of Kantha quilt.

Love all the zippered compartments! I have small scissors, thimbles, thread, and needles inside. I adore it, especially since I've added my own special touch to it.

Have you seen this new product by Karen Kay Buckley? I was already a fan of her Perfect Little Scissors. I needed a new pair since someone (ahem, Cooper!) chewed the handles off my old pair. I found them in Chicago along with Karen's new little scissor accessory - a cute little chain that attaches to the plastic cover - no more lost plastic cover! These are the scissors I keep in my new sewing caddy.

There's still room left for precut circles to make hexies on the go!

We're planning a very relaxing July 4th weekend here. Hubby and I will grill out some burgers, just the two of us. We're going to attend a local music and fireworks event either tonight or tomorrow night (or maybe both!) And we'll probably drive to the lake sometime over the weekend to watch Cooper swim.

A Little Project

I started this fun little project a few days ago - I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the week and I'll share it then. I'll give you a hint: it will be very functional!

And YIPPEE! I got this in the mail today. There's an article and pattern by ME inside!

Don't forget to check out the July 2014 Hexie BOM over here!

Back from CHICAGO!

Six days in Chicago! Fabulous!!!! Hubby and I spent the first few days doing the tourist thing - what fun! I'd never been there before so I took every little thing in. We did the architectural boat tour, lots of bus tours, saw a play (The Last Ship written by Sting), saw the bean, the Crown Fountain, etc.

Here's hubby photographing the skyline from Navy Pier.

Then it was on to the Chicago Quilt Festival! This was the line waiting to get in - whoa baby! Lots of quilters!

I have tons of photos and stories to share over the next several days - stay tuned...

But for now I leave you with a photo of our dining room table after I unpacked my quilty stuff last night.

I have a LOT of putting away to do today! Oh, and look what that is in the lower right corner of the photograph! The manuscript for my book, MORE Quick and Easy Hexie Quilts, arrived while I was gone! I have a week to go through it and make any needed changes. YIPPEE!!!

I'm All Packed Up!

Aren't they a cute group? Here are the bride and her bridesmaids. (Daughter 2 is second from the right). I had such a fun time watching them get ready for the wedding. Then back home Saturday night. Took Daughter 2 to her airport shuttle Sunday morning so she could head back to Minnesota for the rest of the summer.

Now I'm shifting gears - all packed for CHICAGO! I'll be teaching at the Chicago International Quilt Festival at the end of the week - 3 Make It University classes and 1 Open Studios. Hubby's coming along and we're spending a few days sightseeing before the quilt show.

Daughter 1 and SIL are moving into our house for the week to water plants and feed the dogs and cat. Thank you to them!!!

This time tomorrow night we'll be attending a play: The Last Ship, written by Sting and inspired by his childhood. He sang the title song on the Tony Awards recently. The play will be moving to Broadway next year.

Should be a fun week!!!

I have reviewed a book (historical fiction) that has lots of quilting in it - check it out here!

PILE of Orange and Blue Fabric

Look at my pile of loot! I got this yesterday at my Birthday Block quilting group. We meet once a month for a lovely lunch and the "birthday girl" gets a requested block from each member, OR some fabric of her choice. I asked for orange and blue fabric for a quilt I have in progress. I got so much fabric that I'll be making a couple of more orange and blue quilts, I know! Great friends!

Now my birthday is not actually for another month - just so you know.... but, I was happy to celebrate it early. My birthday cake was a yummy Hummingbird Cake - oh, so good!

I leave tomorrow for the lake to host a big group of girls: a bride and her bridesmaids (one of whom is Daughter 2, who is flying home from Minnesota for the weekend). Hubby and dogs have been banned - we're making it girls only. The hair and makeup will be flying while they all get ready for the wedding Saturday. Yes, I'll take some hexies along!

I managed to fit in a hair appointment (much needed!) today. I'll be ready for Chicago next week - can't wait!

You've Got to be KITTING Me!

Kit, kits, and MORE KITS! I made 50 kits as seen above, with 7 precut circles of fabric, a needle, and a bobbin of thread. These will be for my two classes of Hexie Mug Rugs in Chicago next week. I've made 25 kits for my Hand Quilting with Perle Cotton class. Will you be there? Come by and say hello!

This afternoon it hit me that I need to prepare for my Open Studios: Funky Little Art Quilts. Need to get that stuff ready!

Tomorrow I'm driving down to Andalusia, AL to speak to the Covington County Quilt Guild. (I finished my slide presentation this morning.) Then back to Auburn Wednesday for a luncheon with my quilty friends. Friday Daughter 2 is flying home from Minnesota for a quick trip to be in a friend's wedding. I'm hosting 8 young women (including the bride) at the lake Friday night and Saturday. It will be fun watching them all get wedding ready!

Then Chicago next week!!!

And then I'll slow down.....

Mickey enjoys going out on a sunny day and rolling in the warm grass. But after about 5 minutes, he's ready to head back inside to the air conditioning!

Making Kits and a RECIPE!

I started kitting up all the bits and bobbles I've been gathering for teaching in Chicago. This particular kit is for my Hand Quilting with Perle Cotton class. Every student will receive a Pepper Cory Big Stitch needle, a ball of Presencia Perle Cotton in a beautiful variegated pink, AND a sample of Tiger Tape.

I've also made a small quilt sandwich for ever student. What fun!

And now for my new favorite recipe! Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce! This is from Martha Stewart and you can find the recipe here.

There's a simple yummy concoction of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a bit of brown sugar, and some seasoning. Pour it over some cherry tomatoes and garlic.

After slow roasting for an hour it comes out like this, all dark and juicy and caramelized!

I had it over some spaghetti squash because we still doing the lowcarb thing around here. A bit of Parmesan sprinkled on top. OH SO GOOD! I think I'll have the leftovers for lunch and dinner today. It's that good!

I finished reading this yesterday. I really enjoyed it - the movie comes out this weekend.

My New Funky Shoes

I had a fun shopping day Saturday with Daughter 1 - we went to Columbus, GA, which is only about 30 minutes from here. While she was getting her hair cut, I went in a cute little bead shop. They also have gift items, accessories, and all sorts of things. And SHOES! Bernie Mev. shoes. Yes, there's a period after the MEV.

At first I thought they were a bit strange. They are made from a woven elastic-y substance. But I tried one on see how it felt. As soon as I got one on my bad foot (still recovering from all the torn ligaments from my fall several months ago) I KNEW I was going home with them.

Since my injury, I cannot wear most of my shoes. Bummer. I keep hanging on to them in hopes they'll feel good again, but I'm not that optimistic. But these Bernie Mev. shoes are amazingly comfy! The sales person told me that people with foot issues (including bunions) love them.

They are available in tons of colors and styles. I have a feeling I'll be getting more.

It will be a busy day today! I'm still working on kits for Chicago in a few weeks. And I'm determined to  start working on a slide show using Power Point. I've been putting it off too long. I've also been putting off unloading the dishwasher. Better add that to my list.

Welcome to my ZOO!

Here's a peep into my life. Feeding the doxies.

Watching Cooper sleep under the big ottoman.

Then it's upstairs to feed/play with/scoop litter with Leo. Oh Leo, what long whiskers you have!

Then outside to check on the baby blue birds - I think they're hungry!

Here are the two client quilts I made for a lake house, matching but different for a pair of twin beds.

I've been a busy bee getting ready for Chicago in a couple of weeks. Hubby and I are turning my teaching gig into a mini vacation. We've lined up house/animal sitters who will be staying at our house while we're gone (Daughter 1 and SIL!) They'll have their hands full with all these mouths to feed!

And before I go to Chicago, I have a speaking engagement in south Alabama - I'd better start getting ready for that!

I've posted the June Hexie BOM over on my other blog!